The present invention relates to a medication administering device. The invention is particularly useful when embodied in the form of a pill or capsule to be taken orally, and is therefore described below with respect to this application, but it will be appreciated that the invention could be embodied in other types of medication administering devices, such as suppositories to be taken other than orally, or devices to be introduced into a body cavity surgically.
A number of different types of medication administering devices have been developed for administering medication in a controlled manner and/or at a predetermined location, in order to maximize the efficacy of the medication. One type, called a "smart" pill, as briefly described in Popular Science, May 1992, Page 25, includes a capsule which is adapted to be swallowed. The capsule contains a tiny radio transmitter that transmits a continuous signal as it passes through the body to thereby permit its location in the body to be detected. When it reaches a predetermined location, a computer signals the pill to release its payload, by actuating a piston within the capsule to force out medication contained within a chamber in the capsule.